Creating a special needs trust can be a smart move for parents with a child diagnosed with a disabling condition.
The trust could help your child with independent living as they grow older by giving them extra support while still allowing them to receive state benefits. The special needs trust can also help provide for the care of your child after you die.
One of the most important benefits of a special needs trust is how it could protect your child from abuse when you aren’t present to advocate for them.
A trust could help your loved one access better care
Sometimes, people with special needs must live in specialized facilities to have the support they need to stay safe. Unfortunately, without enough resources, your child could wind up in an underfunded group home where the staff members take out their frustrations on the residents. A well-funded special needs trust can help augment your child’s budget and give them access to better facilities.
A trust reduces the risk of financial abuse
Financial manipulation is one of the more common and least-reported forms of abuse of vulnerable adults. Your adult child with special needs won’t necessarily be able to discern whether their friends are sincere or just want access to or control over their resources.
By putting those resources, like their inheritance, in a trust, you make it harder for people to manipulate your child or see them as a target for such abuse because your child won’t have direct access to or control their inheritance.
Thinking carefully about the unique challenges your special needs child faces can help you plan for their future.